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Objective: The emotions expressed by physicians in medical encounters have significant impact on health outcomes and patient satisfaction. This study explored how physicians' regulation of displayed emotions affects patients' satisfaction, under low and high levels of patient distress and length of physician-patient acquaintance., Methods: Questionnaires were administered to 46 physicians and 230 of their patients (before and after the medical encounter) in outpatient clinics of two hospitals., Results: Data were analyzed with hierarchical linear modeling which takes the nested data structure into account. We found a significant interaction effect of physician regulation of displayed emotions and patient distress on satisfaction: When distress was high, physician regulation of emotions was negatively related to patient satisfaction. The results also show a significant interaction effect of physician regulation of displayed emotions and length of physician-patient acquaintance: With a longer acquaintance, physician regulation of emotions was negatively related to patient satisfaction., Conclusion: The effect of the physicians' emotional display on patient satisfaction depends on contextual factors, such as patient distress and length of physician-patient acquaintance, which affect patients' emotional needs and expectations., Practical Implications: When patients have high emotional involvement in the encounter it is suggested that physicians consider presenting genuine emotions to patients., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Previous research on diagnosis of distress among patients with physical ailments has focused on physicians who specialize in the treatment of chronic illness. This study explores family physicians' accuracy in diagnosing patients' emotional distress., Methods: Questionnaires were administered to family physicians (N=61) and their patients (N=496) immediately after a medical encounter. Patients reported their distress levels. Physicians evaluated patients' distress levels and filled out a questionnaire measuring perspective-taking, i.e., the tendency to perceive the point of view of others., Results: Mixed model analyses of nested data showed a moderate positive relationship between physicians' evaluations of patients' distress and patients' self-reported distress. Diagnosis of distress was more accurate among family physicians with a better ability to take the patient's perspective., Conclusion: Family physicians' capacity to accurately diagnose patient distress is positively related to their ability to adopt patients' viewpoint., Practice Implications: Family physicians' training should include enhancement of physicians' ability to take the patient's perspective., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)